Amazon launches Amazon Fire TV Set Top and Gaming Console - Amazon Prime Delight challenges Apple iTV

Amazon has done it yet again! Talk about killing 2 Birds with one Stone!

Yet another one of my articles has come to pass, though not exactly as prophesied in my blog article entitled “Amazons is planning to launch a Streaming Set Top Box by March 2014 - Amazon Prime Kindle Box is a Dash of Cinnamon and may be the ultimate savior of Gaming Consoles”.

Amazon on Wednesday April 2^nd 2014 launched a Set Top Streaming Box with a Gaming Console baked in called Amazon Fire TV as reported in “Amazon unveils $99 Amazon Fire TV for Streaming Video”, published April 2, 2014 8:14 AM PDT by Donna Tam, CNET News and “AMAZON’S FIRE TV IS A WIN FOR EVERYONE, EVEN IF ITS FLAME DWINDLES QUICKLY”, published April 3, 2014 By Caleb Denison, DigitalTrends.

The Amazon Fire TV is being sold on Amazon’s Website for US$99, with some competing retailers quick to ride on the sales of this very promising Streaming device.

This product fits with Amazon’s philosophy to not only be EMC3 (Earth’s Most Customer Centric Company) but also to increase access to Amazon’s Content Library, be it Book or Videos by making their own device, like the Amazon Kindle Fire as stated in my blog article entitled “Amazon launches a pair of Kindle Fire 2 - ACS-Xerox Call Centers in Jamaica ramp up as Kindle Fire begin to Sparkle”.

Straight out of the box, the US$99 Amazon Fire TV will come packing the following channels:

1.      Amazon Instant Video

2.      Disney

3.      Hulu Plus

4.      MLB

5.      Netflix

6.      Showtime

7.      Watch ESPN

8.      YouTube

The Specs are equally impressive but unimportant:

1.      2GB RAM

2.      Voice Control

3.      Bluetooth Remote Control

4.      Wi-Fi (and possibly streaming to the Amazon Kindle Fire)

5.      HDMI Support

Roku will have to go back to the drawing board with the US$49 Roku Streaming Stick (HDMI Version) as described in my blog article entitled “US$49 Roku Streaming Stick with HDMI Compatability launched before Ash Wednesday - Roku facing a Transformers Age of Extinction as Console Games becomes Content of Choice for Streaming” and come up with a new product that also includes a Game Controller to play Casual and Console Games. 

Alternately, Roku along with Google, Apple and anyone else making US$99 Set Top Boxes can issue software updates that enable their Set Top Box with the ability to recognize a Game Controller and thus play BOTH Hardcore and Casual Video Games.

Amazon, in effect, has thrown down yet another Gauntlet challenge to Apple, which may force them to upgrade the Apple iTV to a Gaming Console for their Games on the Apple iTunes Store as stated in “Amazon Fire Tv should light a fire under Apple”, published April 3, 2014 5:27 AM PDT, by Lance Whitney, CNET News and "AMAZON’S $99 FIRE TV PUTS APPLE, ROKU ON NOTICE WITH VOICE SEARCH, OPEN ECOSYSTEM", published April 2, 2014 By Caleb Denison , DigitalTrends.

Amazon Prime Members Delight – Amazon Fire TV Cord-Cutter Nirvana and Console Gaming Renaissance

So no, it’s not Amazon PrimeAir, albeit that may be coming to pass very soon based on the outcome of the Team BlackSheep founder Raphael Pirker case as stated in my blog article entitled “NTSB Judge Patrick Geraghty rules Drones for commercial purposes are now free - Forward thinking Black Sheep founder Raphael Pirker leading America towards an Almost Human Future”.

However, you DID read the second paragraph right, dear reader! “Gaming Console”, as the Amazon Fire TV, which costs US$99, comes with a Game Controller, suggesting that when you’re tired of Streaming TV, you can switch to playing Games from Amazon’s Store.

And it does benefit Amazon Prime Subscriber. Their yearly subscription upped to US$99 (there’s that number again), they can now enjoy Streaming Amazon Instant Video on a dedicated device that packing other channels that they can watch straight out the box.

Amazon is clearly aiming to take over the Video Gaming World as well, as apparently Tablets wasn’t enough as stated in “Amazon Fire TV: World domination through video games”, published April 3, 2014 2:52 PM PDT by Nick Statt and Joan E. Solsman, CNET News.

Effectively too, in a single stroke with a single device, Amazon has killed the hopes of Indie Game Hardware makers like Ouya and Playjam by making a 2-in-1 Devices that provides erstwhile entertainment when viewers are otherwise distracted as stated in my blog article entitled “Google Android powers Boxer8's Ouya, PlayJam's GameStick and Nvidia's Project Shield - Stand Up Guys are making Open Source and Open Architecture a $ellebrity”.

The Game Controller will cost you an extra US$40 bucks, according to the article “Amazon introduces $40 Fire Game Controller”, published April 2, 2014 8:14 AM PDT by Donna Tam, CNET News to play most likely Game titles designed and made by Double Helix, Amazon’s most recent purchase made on Wednesday February 5^th 2014.

So no rehashed Game titles from Developers from Google’s Play Store, as Amazon doesn’t play it like that, people. Instead, Amazon is instead interested in making money from their OWN Games, albeit like their Book Store, they may soon start cutting deals with Game Developers to sell their Games on their Games Store.

Most likely, Amazon may be aiming to introduce their device in China, now that that market has opened up for the production and sale of Video Game Consoles as stated in my blog article entitled “China allows Console Makers to manufacture Video Game Consoles in Shanghai Free Zone - Social Mobile Cloud Gaming Revival with Legit Chinese Customers and defense against Apple and Google” .

Apple, the ball is clearly in your court to debut a Apple TV and Apple iTV Set Top Box that can do all of this as opined in my blog article entitled “Apple to launch TV and a Cloud Gaming Console in 2014 - How the Apple iTV and Television Set can kill The Grandmaster in the guise of Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft”.

Amazon is now basically tapping into the lucrative Streaming Market of Cord-Cutters in the US of A as prophesied in my blog article entitled “Cable TV subscriptions Declines as the Connected Home boost IPTV Streaming”.

Folks, the specs aren’t important here, it’s the concept, as Amazon may have just resurrected Console Gaming which Tablets had killed as I’d declared in my Geezam blog article entitled “How the Apple iPad killed Ultrabooks, Printing and the Mouse as the World Rediscovers Tablets” with a creative Dash of Streaming for Amazon Prime Customers!

Here's the link to purchase Amazon's latest toy:

Amazon Fire TV on Amazon